Adam Rayes
Reporter, Rural and Small CommunitiesEmail: adam.rayes@kunc.org
As KUNC鈥檚 rural and small communities reporter, I help further the newsroom鈥檚 efforts to ensure that all of Northern Colorado鈥檚 communities are heard. These communities have so much to tell us about themselves and Colorado as a whole. They鈥檙e all unique and simultaneously a crucial part of a bigger picture. Many of these communities exist in a news desert; their stories aren鈥檛 being told and they鈥檙e disconnected from each other and the rest of the region. I hope to bring more stories and voices from these places to elevate the conversation.
Before coming to KUNC, I worked at Michigan Radio where I was a production assistant for the statewide newsmagazine, Stateside. I graduated after just three years at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which is where I fell in love with journalism.
I love cooking my dad鈥檚 traditional Syrian recipes, even though my attempts are never up to his standards. I enjoy gaming, running, tasting new beers, watching anything Sam Esmail makes and I hope to gain new hobbies here in Colorado, like skiing.
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The vaccination drive kicks off the state鈥檚 next vaccination phase, which includes grocery and agricultural workers, people over 60 and anyone with two or more pre-existing conditions that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 complications. Around 2,545 workers were vaccinated at the JBS Greeley plant by 1:30 p.m. Friday. -
Kicking off Colorado鈥檚 vaccine phase 1B.3, workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley will finally have an opportunity to get their shots during a two-day mass vaccination clinic at the plant next week. -
2020 census results were supposed to come out in December, as mandated by the Constitution. The Census Bureau recently announced plans to release the first-round of results by April 30. Disruptions and accuracy concerns swirled around last year鈥檚 count and, for some, those concerns remain. The delay may help the Bureau fix some issues, but will also cause problems for the state鈥檚 redistricting plans and tax allocation process, and could affect local efforts like fire recovery. -
Workers between grocery store aisles and on production lines are still at risk of getting sick while they wait in the vaccine line. Here's what companies are doing to prepare for that and what happens when workers reject doses. -
Distribution of the coronavirus vaccine has been slower than many had hoped, leaving at risk people who have to leave home for work every day. This is particularly true for Colorado鈥檚 grocery workers, who've gotten sick with hundreds of recorded cases of COVID-19 in 2020 and continue catching the virus. Some are turning to their union for help as they worry about their health and financial security. -
脷ltimamente, las conversaciones durante la cena familiar en la casa de Erika C谩rdenas se centran en c贸mo todos se enfermaron con COVID-19. -
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos in Weld County have been hit harder than any other demographic 鈥� representing nearly 40% of the reported cases. KUNC鈥檚 Adam Rayes examines the complex and long-standing economic factors that have put these communities at greater risk and talks with some of the people affected.
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In some ways, Logan County has been Colorado鈥檚 canary in the COVID-19 coal mine. It was home to one of the earliest, large-scale outbreaks. Then, months later, it was the first to move back on the state鈥檚 public health restriction 鈥渄ial.鈥� Now, it's one of 15 counties that have moved to the state鈥檚 new stricter, but pre-lockdown level. Area residents say living in a hotspot can be scary, stressful and divisive. -
Colorado鈥檚 top public health officials say the state is in the midst of a third wave of the novel coronavirus. A growing number of counties across the state are entering more restrictive safer-at-home levels. -
Election judges worked well into the night to get ballots to processing facilities, verify signatures and count them. Ballots were still being counted in many counties this morning and some may go into the afternoon.
